Software is an essential component for the operation of most systems. For example, software runs as an essential part on a variety of computing devices such as handle-held music players, digital assistants, smartphones, laptops, desktops, and data center machines. Moreover, it is becoming commonplace for users to have more than one device that uses software as a central component. Home networks that accommodate wired and wireless computing as well as phone systems are increasing in number as technological advances continue to drive down costs.
However, not all these devices and gadgets will come equipped with the requisite software or the hardware resources (e.g., CPU power or memory capacity) to be able to run the latest software (e.g., security). Provisioning machines with the latest updates as soon as they become available, especially with respect to malware protection, can become a problem in a corporate enterprise as users travel, machines get used offline at times when updates are being distributed, and users simply fail to maintain the systems by postponing the update.
Whether a machine is on an enterprise network, on a relatively less secure network (e.g., a home network, or the Internet), there will be situations where a user system needs more security software than is currently installed or the system could possibly host in order to stay protected from potential attacks. There are also situations where a system, despite having all the right and latest security software installed or having the latest updates to fix vulnerabilities, needs a central (or remote) device for filtering the incoming traffic to provide protection from DOS (denial-of-service) attacks that consume excessive network bandwidth and processor cycles.
Consider a fixed security infrastructure where a network worm is circulating that exploits a vulnerability in HTTP (hypertext transfer protocol). A known signature is available; however, there are two devices, one for which there is no available intrusion protection software (IPS), and another, which due to limited CPU power and memory capacity, is not running the available IPS software. In another example, consider a roaming scenario where a group of users roam through hot spots. The blend of computing devices is such that some of these devices lack the requisite security software for adequate protection. In at least these situations a mechanism should be made available by which the devices can quickly garner external resources available on the network to dynamically mount effective protective shields.